Body molding garment



BODY MOLDING GARMENT Filed June '27, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet l 4 INVENTORS E 5 MAY E. .EIMITH M HU ARD H. EIMITH. i mp (ax/ Y ATTORNEY Nov. 30, 1937. H. A. SMITH ET AL 2,100,986

BODY MOLDING GARMENT Filed June 27, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 v I INVENTQRS MAY E.5M1TH 1m HUBX$IHRD SMITH.- W v ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 30, 1937 UNITED v STATES BODY MOLDING GARMENT Howard A. Smith and May E. Smith, Fairfleld,

Conn.

Application June 27, 1936, Serial No. 87,605

ment in body molding garments, particularly corsets, foundation garments, or the like, in which elastic material is employed, such material being 5. either of the one-way or two-way stretch type.

. In such garments heretofore in use the incorporation of bones, stays, or other such reinforcing or stiffening devices, has been objectionable and unsatisfactory, due to the fact that such bones, stays, or the like would not stretch with the fabric, their incorporation in the garment was diflicult and expensive, and they were uncomfortable to the wearer. Garments have also been made of elastic material without the use 15 of bones, stays or other stiffening devices, but

these have been objectionable as the elastic material would conform to and accentuate the shape of body rather than cause the body to conform to or be molded to a desired shape. It is proposed in the present invention to, provide a garment in which stiffening sections having elasticity are incorporated as an inherent part of the elastic fabric employed in the garment-and which sections may be of any desired width and position to mold the body at those places most desired.

In carrying out our invention we particularly propose to employ in the garment an elastic fabric in which certain areas, preferably in the form of strips extending in the direction of the weft of the woven fabric, have elastic reinforcing stifiening means interwoven therewith, and which while being elastic and'having inherent stiffness in one direction will at the same time be flexible in the other direction. The fabric having thesestrips may therefore be used in the garment in substantially the same way as ordinary elastic material as used heretofore, while the elastic stiffening strips forming an inherent part of the elas tic fabric will be of suitable width and position to reinforce and stiffen the garment at those portions where it is desired to cause the body ofthe wearer of the garment to conform to a desiredcompanying drawings, and these embodiments will be hereinafter more fully described with reference thereto, and the invention will be finally pointed out in the drawings.

55 In the drawings:

Fig. '1 is a face view of a section of elastic. woven fabricas employed in my invention.

Fig. 2 is an edge view thereof.

Fig.3 is a side view of the elastic thread use as the weft in weaving the cloth, the covering 5 being partially unwound to show the core.-

Fig. 4 is a side view of the elastic'stiffening cord employed in weaving the stiffening sections, the covering being partially unwound toshow the core.

Fig. 5 is. an enlarged face view of a section of the fabric showing two of the stiffening ribs.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line 6-6 of Fig. 5'. i

' Fig. '7 is a front view of a girdle type of garment,

according to my invention.

Fig. 8 is a rear view thereof. 7

Fig. .9 is a sectional view taken along the line 9-9 of Fig. 7..

Fig. 10 is a front view of a modified form of girdle type of garment, according to the-invention.

Fi 11 is a rear view thereof.

Fig. 12. is a front view of a corset and brassiere type of garment, according to the invention.

Fig. 13 is a rear view thereof.

Similar reference characters indicate correspending parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings and more particularly to Figs. 1 to 6, in which the material preferably employed in carrying out our invention is illustrated, this material is woven from elastic 'weft threads, elastic stiffening cords and warp threads, these latter being non-elastic in the case of one-way stretch material but which may be elastic when it is desired to produce two-way stretch material. The elastic weft threads III, as shown in Fig. 3, consist of a rubber core ill,

a base winding Ill of fibrous yarn, and an outer 4 winding 10 of fibrous yarn, preferably in double strands and wound in the opposite direction from the winding of the base winding-Ill. The elastic stifiening or reinforcing cords 'II are of much larger gauge than the threads l0 and are wound in substantially the same way, consisting of a .rubber core I l a base winding of fibrous yarn II, and an outer winding of fibrous yarn ll. The elastic threads and cords may be of any other suitable type, as for example cut rubber. For the purpose of incorporating. the elastic stiffening cords certain of the warp threads l2 are in alternate arrangement with certain other of the warp threads l3 as will presently more fully appear. As shown in Figs. Sand 6 the warp threads l2 and the warp threads I3 are interwoven in the body of the fabric with the elastic weft threads ID in the usual manner. At the point where the stiffening cords l l are interwoven the warp threads l3 extend beneath the cord ll while the warp threads I2 are carried over the cord H and are woven with weft threads, so that a woven covering is provided about the cord, causing it to project as a rib, while the other side of the fabric remains smooth. After the covering is woven about one cord H the warp threads l2 together with the warp threads l3 are again interwoven with the weft threads ill for several picks, the warp threads l2 being then woven over the next stiffening cord [3, and so on throughout the stiffening section, whereupon weaving of the intermediate: plain weave section is resumed. It will be understood that the stiffening strips may be of any desired width, depending upon the particular design of the garment. Also the strips may be cut from the fabric and inserted or overlayed in relation to the body of the elastic fabric in the garment.

Referring to Figs. '7 to 9, the garment shown therein comprises a front section 14 of vertically stretchable elastic fabric provided at its upper portion with a front pad I5 of vertically stretchable elastic fabric having vertically extending elastic stiffening sections I6 which are arranged to engage over the abdomen of the wearer. The section l4 may if desired be non-elastic. As shown the projecting ribs of the reinforcing strips are exposed at the inner side of the garment. It will be understood however that the band may be reversed so that these projecting ribs are not exposed at the inner side of the garment but engage the inner surface of the portion 14. Also if desired the pad may be covered with an elastic lining material. Instead of providing the elastic stiffening sections as a part of a front pad, the front section 14 without a pad may be made of vertically stretchable elastic material with vertical stiffening strips incorporated therein.

At each side of the front section there are secured elastic side sections l1 adapted to stretchhorizontally, and at the upper and lower ends of these side sections l'l there are provided elastic stiffening sections l8 and I9 which may either be integrally woven with the sections I1 or may be stitched to the upper and lower edges thereof or overlayed thereon. The rear section 20 of the garment is formed of elastic material capable of stretching in a vertical direction and having vertically extending elastic stiffening strips 2| and 22. It will be observed that the stiffening strips are so arranged in the garment that they extend over portions of the body that it is desired to flatten or mold and which in the absence of these stiffening strips would not be flattened or I molded by the elastic material of the garment. This would be especially true in the case of very thin material. The front portion of the garment is provided with an opening at one side adapted to be closed by means of hooks and eyes 23 and 24. The stiffening sections may have the ribs either at the outside orat the inside, as desired.

In Figs. and 11 we have illustrated a modified form of girdle type of garment in which the main section 25 is formed of elastic fabric capable of stretching both vertically and horizontally. A non-elastic V-shape section 26 is provided in the front which is provided with a vertical opening adapted to be closed by a zipper fastener 21. A horizontally extending stifiening section 28, according to the invention, extends from each e g case the upper portion 40 will be dispensed with of the front portion 26 entirely around the upper portion of the garment while a narrower stiffening elastic section 29 extends from each side of the front portion 26 around the lower portion of the garment. At the rear a pair of vertically 5 extending reinforcing strips 30 extend between the sections 28 and 29, and these may either be inserted in the body of the fabric 25, applied thereon, or integrally woven therewith.

In Figs. 12 and 13 we have illustrated a modifled form of corset and brassiere type of garment according to the invention, comprising a front section 3|, of non-elastic fabric provided centrally of its lower portion with a V-shaped elastic gusset 32, and provided interiorly with a vertically stretchable elastic front pad 33 having vertically extending elastic stiffening sections 34 similar to those shown in the embodiment, Figs. '7 and 8. Side sections 35 preferably formed of two-way stretch material are provided intermediate their vertical edges with vertically stretchable elastic stiffening strips 36, and at the upper and lower ends of the side sections there are provided horizontally stretchable elastic stiffening strips 31 and 38. The rear section of the garment comprises a lower portion 39, the upper edge of which is arched and extends above the Waist-line, and an upper portion 40 which'overlaps the upper portion of the portion 39, the upper edge of the portion 40 being above the upper edge of the portion 39 and preferably provided'centrally with a V-shape elastic gusset 4|. Upon the inner side of the portion 39 there are provided a pair of vertically extending elastic stiffening sections 42. These sections may be either applied to. the fabric of which the portion 39 is made or may be integrally woven therewith. It will be understood that instead of the overlapping type of back illustrated the back may be of one-piece, in which and the upper edge of the portion 39 will extend higher.

Secured between the upper edge of the front section 3| and the upper vertical edge portions of the side sections there is provided a brassiere section 43 provided in the lower portion of each of the cup-shaped sides with inverted V-shape cutouts 44 in which are inserted vertically extending elastic stiffening strips 45 according to the invention. Shoulder straps 46' extend from the brassiere to the back section in the usual manner. There is an opening between one edge of the front portion and one of the side portions adapted to be closed by a zipper fastener 41. I

Wehave illustrated and. described preferred and satisfactory embodiments of our invention, but it will be understood that changes may be made therein, within the spirit and scope thereof, as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

1. A relatively light-weight foundation garment including a vertically stretchable back section woven from relatively'sheer elastic yarn, said back section having two spaced bands extending between thetop and bottom edges of the section,

each band being formed of a plurality of strands of elastic thread of --eonsiderably .larger ,gauge than the elastic yarn, said strands being woven intothe fabric comprising the back section, said bands extending over high point regions of the buttocks to flatten them and to cause the garment better to cling to the body without appreciably interfering with the natural freedom of movement permitted by the back section.

stretchable back section woven from non-elastic warp threads and relatively sheer elastic wei't yarn. said back section having two spaced bands.

extending-between the top and bottom edges'of said section, each band consisting of a plurality o'f heavier weft elastic threads of considerably larger gauge than the elastic weft yarn and each A of said heavier weft threads being encased by 10 the warp threads'and by certain of the firstnamed weft yarn, said respective bands extending overhigh 'point'regio'ns of the buttocks to,

, control and flatten high points of the buttocks.

- row band areas of elastic woven therein and ex- 3. A light weight foundation garment including-a vertically stretchable backsection woven from relatively sheer elastic yarn, said back section a plurality of spaced relatively nartending from the top to the bottom edge of said section and forming band areas having much greater resistance to stretch than that offered bythe main body or the section, said bands extend:

'ing over high point regions oi. the. buttocks and acting to cause the garment to cling to the body and flatten the buttocks without interfering with back section.

4. A'light weight foundation garment having a vertically stretchable back section for girding 4 top and bottom edges of the back section and so associated therewith as to stretch integrally with the adjacent areas of the back section, said bands the back of the torso and buttocks. said back a section having two spaced relatively narrow bands extending approximately vertically between'the extending over high point regions of the buttocks 1 and having considerably greater resistance to stretch than the remaining portions of said back section to cause the garment to cling to the body and flatten the buttocks without appreciably interfering with the natural freedom or movement permitted by thegarment.

5; A light-weight foundation garment having a back section extending over the buttocks, said back section being elastic andstretchable vertically and" having two spaced relatively narrow bands extending substantially between thetop and bottom edges 0! the back section and so associated therewith as to stretch integrally with advjacen't areas of the back section, said bands extending over high point regions of the buttocks,

and having considerably greater resistance to stretch than the main body'of the back section thereby to control and flatten high points of the the free stretching oi." the main portion of the a 

